


in your shadow i worship.

by lushwang (theangryblob)



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Greek god au, Hades & Persephone au, M/M, seungcheol simps and thats ok
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2020-08-31
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:42:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24954748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theangryblob/pseuds/lushwang
Summary: The burden of the throne is always better shared.
Relationships: Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups/Hong Jisoo | Joshua
Comments: 23
Kudos: 65
Collections: Coup de Cœur - Round 1





	in your shadow i worship.

**Author's Note:**

> i may have taken some liberties with the prompt but i hope i did it justice!! 
> 
> there is a dedicated playlist, with a nice treat at the end: 
> 
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/07nN0EJc3wkVMzl4e1ahlb?si=ofsV6TQ1QPWSb7B0unVw5w

Seungcheol scowls from where he sits upon his throne, chin propped up in his hand. He looks down at the mortal king before him, frowning as he drops to his knees, begging for mercy. 

“Please, my lord, I beg you to reconsider. I led my country well. I conquered the seas and built an empire. I offered sacrifices every year in tribute to Kore-”

“Conquered the seas?” Seungcheol barks out a laugh. “My brother is alive and well, no thanks to you. It’s awfully bold of you to come to my hall to beg and lie.”

“My lord Hades-”

With a wave of his hand, he forces the man’s mouth shut, finding relief in the silence. “You led thousands to their death and you enslaved your own people. You left your nation in a succession crisis because you couldn’t keep your cock to yourself.”

The shade at Seungcheol’s right comes forth, a scroll and quill ready. Seungcheol snatches it from their hands and signs it roughly, before slamming it back into the shade’s hands. The man begins to fade, particles disintegrating as his soul returns to its final resting place. “You get what you deserve. Enjoy Tartarus.”

Another case dealt with. The centuries pass like this, keeping the peace in his realm of the dead. He feels like a warden more often than not, but he’s trapped here. 

Swearing off Olympus was a matter of his own pride, but he regrets it. 

Oh, how he misses it there. The skies are always clear, they’re always feasting. He doesn’t miss his family so much as he misses his freedom. Their lives are their own to live while he feels like he’s the only one left with eternal responsibilities.

The months don’t pass by fast enough. By the end of summer the soil will turn acrid, the heat unbearable as it rises from the ground. 

It’s just not fair, is it?

And yet he keeps his rage to himself, suffers these injustices obediently because there’s a purpose higher than him, right? There’s something at the end of all of this, isn’t there? 

⫷ ║ ⫸

Seungcheol waits at the banks, the green waters of the Acheron lapping at the pier. There are no winds in the Underworld, but as Charon’s boat approaches the air shifts, weighing heavy on his tongue. It tastes like the frost, the promise of Demeter’s fury. No matter how she tries, she’ll never reach them here.

He holds out his hand, taking Jisoo’s carefully, helping him off the boat, eyes flitting between his delicate feet as they touch the pier to the chain of amber beads that loop around his neck.

“It’s good to have you back.”

Jisoo grins, touches Seungcheol’s wrist, hand warm. He feels like he’s burning all over just looking at him, overwhelmed with just the prospect of having him back. All his thoughts bouncing around his head, spinning faster and faster. 

“It’s good to be back.” Jisoo pats his cheek, fond and amused. When he tips his head, petals fall from the crown atop his head. Today it’s made of rust colored ivy, garnished with sparkling stephanotis. “I just wish you wouldn’t throw a tantrum every time you missed me. You know how many people lost their harvests this year because of you?”

Seungcheol pouts, squirming under Jisoo’s eyes. “It’s not my fault every time something goes wrong. What if they were just bad farmers?”

“Bad farmers? You hear the way you talk?”

He stomps his foot, huffing. “ _Stop_ , you just got here. Is it necessary to bully me the second you’re back?”

Jisoo shrugs, a sly smile on his face as he turns on his heel, giving Seungcheol a view of his back. He’s pinned his robes to reveal skin, the fabric folding at the small of his back, just over his ass. He’s wearing red today, a deep wine color that highlights the constellation of beauty marks over his skin. The amber chain clasps at his nape, trailing down his spine and swaying every time he moves. 

“Pay the boatman, won’t you?”

Seungcheol swallows, eyes fixated on Jisoo’s back, on his skin and his hair. He wants to eat him, put his mouth on his beauty marks and  _ bite _ . 

He forgoes the clasp of Jisoo’s chain and takes a brooch from his own shoulder. A golden screech owl, eyes of rubies, tossed into Charon’s hand. He always catches. 

“There’s a feast inside waiting for you. Everyone’s been waiting for you to come home.”

Jisoo smiles, looping his arms with Seungcheol. “I just got back. Can’t we relax for a while? We have all winter to entertain guests. I’d rather spend my time with you now.”

Seungcheol melts. He’s not a fan of the formalities either, and Jisoo always knows what he wants. “Of course. Let’s get you cleaned up. I want to hear about all the places you’ve been this year.” 

⫷ ║ ⫸

Seungcheol lifts his palm, watching fondly as Jisoo raises his delicate hand to clasp his. The hall comes to a stand still, a thousand shades, gods and spirits alike listening in awe. 

The audacity of this man, still alive and well, to come to the House of Hades, to bypass all the trials of the Underworld and demand an audience with its king. He can’t remember the last time he’d suffered such disrespect. 

The mortal stands in the center of the throne room, cradling his lyre as he plucks the strings. His hair is so dark, shining as it reflects the light of the blue lanterns. Seungcheol has never seen anything like it. His voice is so high and clear, so sweet that Seungcheol forgets his anger, relaxing into his throne.

Has he ever heard a voice so sweet? The burden of this realm slips from his shoulders and he feels like he’s returned to Olympus. The spring wind on his skin, the endless sky before him. A glittering, golden palace, with gardens that never ended. Where they first saw each other, faces shining like flowers in the sun. 

Jisoo squeezes his hand. 

Seungcheol turns his gaze back to look at the mortal. He’s so small, even for a human, but he stands tall, fearless even as he’s surrounded by death. It takes a certain kind of man to think his desires can usurp the will of the Fates. A proud man. 

“Tell me your name.”

The mortal bows his head to both Seungcheol and Jisoo. “They call me Orpheus of Thrace, my Lord Hades. I have come to you with the blessing of the oracle king Apollo, to ask for your favor.”

Ah, that nephew of his, that fool of a god. How bold of him to think that he may disrespect Hades the way his father had. 

Jisoo leans forward, sapphire drops swaying around his face. A new gift - a veil made of chains of silver and sapphires, so small they look like beads of light. His face, both seen and unseen, ethereal as ever. “That wasn’t what you were asked. Speak clearly, young Orpheus, lest you test the patience of our good King.”

The color drains from his face, and Seungcheol takes some pleasure in hearing his voice tremble. A much more fitting response. 

“My deepest apologies, your worship. My good name is Jihoon, given to me by the muse Calliope.”

Jisoo sits back, smiling, unreadable. Seungcheol feels electricity where they touch, would shudder were it not for the audience before them. The intensity of his presence makes it hard to breathe, even for him. 

He steadies himself and looks down at the man. It’s been such a long time since Seungcheol has laid eyes on a mortal. 

“Now tell me, Jihoon, what favor you’ve come to ask of me. I’m feeling generous today.”

“I wish to bring my lover out of the Underworld, to return with me.”

Jisoo lets go of Seungcheol’s hand, rising from his throne with such force the seat shakes, trembling under his anger. The lanterns of the hall burst into new flame, casting the room with an unbearable heat. “My, my, you understand what you’re asking, then young Orpheus?”  
His voice never rises but in the silence of the hall it’s unbearable, like a knife twisting into your throat. “You wish to bring the dead back to life? To steal from this realm and disrespect our Lord Hades?”

The shades of the hall cower, disappearing to hide. Jisoo’s wrath is a rare sight, but terrifying each time. 

Jihoon falls to his knees, crushed under the weight of Jisoo’s anger bearing down on him. Mortals forget so easily that the gods give them life, and just as easily they can take it away.

“Darling,” Seungcheol reaches out to touch his arm and immediately Jisoo calms, the hall returning to what it once was. He sits again upon his throne, twitching even as he takes his hand to hold. “Our Jihoon has played for us so beautifully. Let us listen.”

Jisoo takes in a breath, eyes closing. When they open again, Jisoo is smiling, serene as ever. “Of course, my love.”

Seungcheol turns to the mortal, looking down at where he kneels. “What is the name of your lover?”

The air above Jihoon shimmers, condensed and heavy, keeping the man on the floor. “Eurydice, my king. They go by the name Jeonghan in our land.”

The hall seems to hold its breath, and Seungcheol pauses. What can he say? A blessing is a blessing, and he’s shown this mortal his mercy once. It wouldn’t do to change his mind so quickly. Beside him, his lover sits stone still, tense as he’s ever seen him. Perhaps he should curse his man and snub Apollo: who is he to send such a prideful man to his domain, to disrespect Hades in his own realm? How much longer should he suffer such indignity?

“You may take your lover from the Underworld, on one condition.”

Jisoo snaps his head around, sapphires chiming against each other. He looks at Seungcheol with wide eyes, outrage, then realization. He smiles, nodding. 

When he speaks, he sounds as sweet as the first time Seungcheol heard his voice, in the orchards by the sea. 

“You cannot look at them as you take them from the Underworld. If you glance at them, even once, they’ll return to their death and you must return to the living realm alone.”

Jihoon breathes a sigh of relief, lifting his head. His eyes are shining with tears, though Seungcheol cannot tell if it’s from the relief of receiving permission or the pressure of being forced to kneel with a weight upon his back. 

“Thank you for your generosity, my Queen Kore. I will never forget this-”

Seungcheol silences him with a wave of his hand, forcing the man’s mouth shut. Jisoo narrows his eyes. 

“In this realm you will address me by Persephone. Slight me in my home once more and I shall replace your tongue with a snake, so that your lover may die the same death every time you kiss.”

Jihoon nods weakly, lowering his head to look at the floor. “Yes, my Queen Persephone. Goddess of Spring and Bringer of Death. I shall never forget the mercy that you’ve shown me on this day.”

Seungcheol removes the pressure from his back, allowing Jihoon to stand. “You may go, then. A shade will guide you to your lover.”

Jihoon stands up, wobbling, before creaking into a bow. “Thank you, my King Hades.”

Jisoo leans back, crossing his legs. The thin fabric of his robes slips, baring his thigh and the criss-crossing ties that lace around his leg. 

“You may go, young Orpheus. But be cautious to never disrespect a god like this ever again. And remember,” Jisoo smiles, sinister, “don’t look back.”

⫷ ║ ⫸

Jisoo descends upon him, hands coming to rest upon Seungcheol's chest, their skin warm where they touch. His robes settle around them, lilac as the morning sky, shimmering like a reflection. 

Seungcheol reaches up to touch the back of Jisoo’s neck, where his hair grows longer. It’s so soft, like silk, and he can’t help but smile, tears pricking his eyes.

“I missed you,” he starts, voice small. The lanterns dim one by one, until a single candle lights the room. The shadow that Jisoo casts is immense, shrouding them in darkness as they sink into the plush mattress. Only his eyes, focused entirely on him, shine brightly. “I missed you so much. It’s so lonely without you here.”

Seungcheol pulls him in, voice breaking, and Jisoo allows himself to be held, arms open as he hugs Seungcheol tightly to his chest. 

“I missed you too,” Jisoo murmurs, propping himself up on one arm so that he can look into Seungcheol’s eyes, cradle his face. He’s gotten tan in the summer months and he smells like the sea, warm. “I counted the days until I could come back to you. There are so many places I want to take you.” 

A tiny sound makes its way out of Seungcheol’s throat, slips past his lips even though he’d long decided he wouldn’t cry. “You know I can’t go with you. I’m stuck here - stuck in this stupid, stupid place. It’s so dark here without you. And all these blasted shades - am I just supposed to be stuck with them for the rest of eternity? Doing paperwork? I hate it so much.”

“Oh, oh, Seungcheol, don’t cry.” Jisoo presses a kiss to his cheek, moving to lie at his side, tucking Seungcheol’s head into the crook of his neck, kissing the crown of his head. He lets out a tiny sob, the sound muffled against his skin. “I’m here with you now. Please don’t cry, please. It hurts me so much when you cry.”

Seungcheol clenches a fist in the feather light fabric around Jisoo’s waist, bunching it up in his hands as he pulls it away, desperate to feel his skin. 

“Jisoo,” how good it is to say his name, his true name, a privilege reserved for him and him alone, “Jisoo, I missed you so much.”

“I’m here,” Jisoo cups Seungcheol’s face in his hands, turns his head to meet his gaze. His eyes are so dark, like they suck in all the light around them. He leans in and Seungcheol whimpers, lips parting to meet his, a shudder running through his body. “I’m here.”

⫷ ║ ⫸

In winter the gardens bloom, pomegranates ripe and heavy on the branches. The orchards stretch farther than the eye can see, encircling the Great Hall three times, broken only by the Acheron as it passes through the realm to disappear at the edge of a waterfall, carrying souls to the depths of Tartarus. 

Seungcheol stands on his toes, picking fruit to drop into the basket behind him. The leaves are so green, growing so thick his hands seem to disappear in the lush canopy. 

He drops the fruits into the basket that trails behind him, carried by the rolling stones that follow his feet as he trails through the gardens. The earth gives away beneath his feet, black dirt cushioning his footprints.

In the Hall, Jisoo sits at his throne, legs crossed, crown of glass atop his perfect head. 

Seungcheol had the entire house decorated with flowers in anticipation of his arrival, and when Jisoo stepped off the boat, bare feet touching the tiled floors of their throne room, they all bloomed at once, a thousand petals floating through the air, carrying the blessing of spring magic with them. When he sits on the throne beside him, back straight, tall and proud, glittering earrings swaying as he turns his head to look at Seungcheol, he feels so alive. The halls are bursting, like rooms have to expand to accommodate the magnitude of Jisoo’s presence. 

Come winter, the shades of Tartarus come crawling through the rivers to take advantage of the good mood of their realm’s Lord, with pleas of mercy. Seungcheol is keen to pardon them all - what’s the harm in a few souls sent to Asphodel? 

Jisoo always disagrees, but he’s teasing, pouting and squirming and clambering onto Seungcheol’s lap until he gets his way. 

So Seungcheol, eternally fond, merely watches as Jisoo brings their realm back to order with an iron fist, regal in a way he never could be. 

He knows better than to put it down to Olympian charm - even after centuries of hermitage in his own realm, he remembers as clear as day the brutish manners of his brothers. No, no.  
Lady Demeter’s influence, perhaps. How deathly possessive she is of her children: each ingrained with the regal poise that define her. 

Still, Jisoo’s special. Goddess of the Immortal Spring, Giver and Taker of Life. An endless list of names and reasons to why he makes such a good queen.

Seungcheol isn’t opposed to ruling. He’s grown accustomed to it, and the order of the realm is testament enough to his capability. The doubts that plague him are misguided, he reminds himself. But the task is always easier with someone by his side, someone to share his burdens and his joys. 

⫷ ║ ⫸

Seungcheol steps out onto the balcony, taking fifty steps to reach its edge. The floor swallows all the sounds he makes and it's cold where he places his hands on the stone railing, looking out over the Underworld. 

Distant as they are, he sees all the realms in his Kingdom, all under the curtain of an everlasting night. Infinite as it is, it’s easy to get lost looking out into the starless sky. A glance below and he sees the endless lines of souls fluttering around in circles and swarms. 

He clenches his fists. 

“Darling.”

He turns around, smiling when he sees Jisoo step towards him. He’s wearing green today, light and ashy, the fabric shimmering as it floats around his legs. It catches the light so perfectly - or pulls it in, rather. Flowers bloom where brooches pin together the cloth, petals falling as he walks. Seungcheol reaches out, pulls Jisoo into his arms and kisses his mouth. He smells like orange flower today, tastes like it too, and Jisoo purrs, relaxing into his hold, cradling Seungcheol’s face. 

Jisoo breaks the kiss first, bumping their noses together as Seungcheol hums, leans in for another. 

Jisoo tuts, and Seungcheol blushes. He feels like a child with him. “Tell me, what are you thinking about all alone out here? You didn’t even wake me up. Left me all alone in bed.”

“I had to take care of some things. You know I’m busy.”

“Well, you have a minute to spare for me now, don’t you?”

He doesn’t wait for a response, tugging Seungcheol’s hand to take him down a staircase to the gardens. The evergreens offer a canopy above their heads, and though there’s no sun Seungcheol can see light filtering through the leaves, diamonds scattered over the soil.

“When was the last time we had a picnic? I’ll clear the whole month.”

“A little extreme if you ask me.”

He huffs. Where exactly is Jisoo taking him? “I should be clearing the whole winter for you. You know how much I miss spending time with you?”

“Oh? Then why don’t you? Am I not important enough, o’ great king?”

“One day I’ll say you’re not, how about that?”

Jisoo spins on his heel. His robes swirl around him, fabric feather light as it sways around his legs. “You wouldn’t dare,” he points a thin finger directly at Seungcheol’s face, “you like me too much.”

His heart skips a beat when Jisoo pulls them down to lie in the grass, flowers crushed underneath their backs. 

“I put a lot of effort into keeping this garden beautiful for you, you know.”

“Mm,” Jisoo stretches his arms above his head, back arching, “what a good husband you are.”

The gardens die when Jisoo leaves, withering away to nothing. Seungcheol tries to keep them alive so that he doesn’t have to look at fields of rotting flowers, but his efforts are always in vain. The house deteriorates as his mood does, becomes dark and sour over the course of the summer. 

“Why do I feel like you’re mocking me?”

Jisoo turns over, sitting up and straddling Seungcheol’s lap. “I am.”

His eyes widen, looking up at Jisoo, swallowing nervously as Jisoo’s robes hike up to reveal his tanned thighs flexing around his hips. “ _Here?_ Really?” 

“It’s our garden, isn’t it?” Jisoo shrugs, unpinning the brooches that hold the fabric secure at his waist, tossing them to the side as he holds Seungcheol’s gaze. “This entire realm is ours. We should make use of it, shouldn’t we?”

Jisoo’s going to be the death of him some day. Seungcheol blushes, flustering even as he slides his hands up Jisoo’s thighs to part his robes. 

“Yeah, you’re right. All mine.”

Seungcheol turns them over, pressing Jisoo into the flowers as he kisses a line down Jisoo’s neck to his stomach, moving down till he can mouth at freckles near his navel. Jisoo purrs, tilting his hips up, eager. “All yours.”

⫷ ║ ⫸

“ _Hear, o gods, my desperate plea,_

_ To see my love beside me.” _

The hall glows orange, a hundred new fire pits lining its walls, encasing everything in a new warmth. The columns have been renovated, from polished marble to glowing obsidian, and the chandeliers have been changed again. Jisoo’s tastes vary considerably from year to year, but Seungcheol doesn’t mind. Watching him flutter through the halls, rejuvenating the house once more is worth all the trouble. 

“ _Sunk below the mortal sea,_

_ Her anchor weighs upon me. _

_ Fasten her tether unto me, _

_ That she may rise to sail free.” _

Seungcheol steps into the hall, his crown replaced by a ring of poplar leaves, a trail following behind him. Jisoo sits at his throne, listening to an audience of a dozen shades, but when he sees Seungcheol he dismisses them all, standing up with his arms outstretched to greet his husband. 

“Something troubles you.”

“ _Don’t look back._ ”

The head of Orpheus hangs at the center of the hall, fastened to a chain. They’ve always wanted a musician for the court. Jihoon’s voice echoes through the halls, as clear and as sweet as when he was alive. What a blessing, to be honored by Jisoo in this way, to be part of the House of Hades forever. 

“ _Close enough that light we can see,_

_ My doubt betrays the better of me, _

_ A glance to the stern is all it would be, _

_ That anguished shade shall haunt me.” _

He hums, taking Jisoo’s hands to kiss them. “I want to leave this place. I wish I could give you more than what we have here. We should be ruling from the skies, not hiding underground. It’s not fair to be cursed here.”

Jisoo laughs, light and small, much to his surprise. “Don’t think of it as a curse. I’m happy with you, here. Olympus may be grand, but we have dominion over all here.”

_ “Ever on.” _

“And yet our family laughs from where they are. I feel like they’re looking down at us, all the time. What have I done to deserve such scorn? What have you done to be trapped here with me?”

Jisoo sobers, touching Seungcheol’s cheek gently. “We aren’t trapped. Don’t ever think that way.”

_ “Calm seas, _

_ Winds a lee,  _

_ But with the squalls upon us, _

_ We’re floundering, _

_ Drowning.” _

Seungcheol looks down, but Jisoo tips his head up with a finger under his chin. “You are Hades, God of the Underworld. All souls shall join your realm one day, to be ruled by you for eternity.”

“And what of the gods, of my brothers that laugh at me?”

“ _Don’t look back_ .”

Jisoo smiles. “Why, you slayed the titans, didn’t you? Tore them apart and cast them into Tartarus to burn for what they did to you?”

Seungcheol’s brows furrows, confused. “I did.”

“Even gods must die,” Jisoo removes the poplar ring from Seungcheol’s head, smoothing his hair back gently, reverently. The crown upon his own head stays in place, clear and tall. “And when they do, shall you not rule them from above?”

“I shall. We shall.”

Jisoo leans in to kiss him, and Seungcheol lets himself be kissed. “Yes, we shall.”

**Author's Note:**

> to my beloved prompter....... *blows a kiss*
> 
> comments and criticism welcome


End file.
